Calling Redefining Failure

So what difference does it make, that my calling is so clear?  Everything seems to be redefined now that I see my calling simply as the place where God resides.

Funny how Paul begins this second half of Ephesians by reminding us that he is a prisoner.  “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,…”  It is as if he is saying, “Listen to me.  Because I am imprisoned I know what I am talking about.”

Every now and then I see billboards inviting me to go hear a motivational talk from the likes of Colin Powell, Rudy Giuliani and other apparently successful people.  Their success proves that what they have to say is valid.  Politicians are quick to add celebrity to their campaigns to bolster credibility.  Makes sense.

Somehow though, Paul’s message that we are called to be the living temple of God is proved credible because he ended up in jail.  I’m not sure if Paul necessarily saw his imprisonment as a success.  But he certainly did not see it as a failure.  How is this possible?

Part of the answer seems to be in the kind of instructions Paul delivers in response to this calling.  From Ephesians 4 right through the end, the instructions are all about how to live in line with God’s character.  Makes sense: if we’re to be the living reality of God, then we better be living the reality of his character.

How we live our lives becomes the ends and not just a means.  Where we end up in life does not matter half as much how we get there.  Perhaps that is why Paul emphasizes that he is not just any prisoner, but a prisoner for the Lord.

Another reason why this calling redefines failure is that suddenly life is not just about me.  Sure, everyone knows that it is better to give than to receive.  But why?  And as a minister from a family of ministers, an outlook of service is pretty much ingrained into the fiber of my being.  But to what ends?

If I’m honest, my fear of failing to ‘make an impact’ is grounded mostly in my fear of people’s negative perception of me.  But if I am to fully embrace my calling of being but one part of Christ’s body, then how people perceive me is not half as important as how they perceive Christ in His fullness.  A farmer’s hands are rarely praised as objects of beauty.  But the abuse they take is essential to the farmer living out a life of integrity and respectable hard work.

Oh Lord, let me understand and fear true failure and not the failure of the world.  May the success I pursue be the success of dying to myself to coming alive in your body, your temple.  Thank you for calling me to an eternal purpose.  Amen.